Raptors sign GM Bobby Webster to contract extension. Will Masai be next?

The Toronto Raptors have locked up an integral member of its front office, agreeing to terms on a multi-year contract extension with general manager Bobby Webster, the team announced Thursday.

Per team policy, the terms of the agreement were not released, the organization says.

“I think everyone knows what Bobby brings to our organization: intelligence, poise, and creativity,” Raptors President Masai Ujiri said.

“I’m very pleased that our team will continue to benefit from his many skills for seasons to come.”

Webster was one of Ujiri’s first hires when he rejoined the Raptors in 2013, hiring the 36-year-old executive as the team’s Vice President of Basketball Management and Strategy, and later promoting him to assistant general manager.

In 2017, after Ujiri was promoted to President, Webster was named as the team’s general manager, making him the youngest NBA general manager at the time he was hired.

Webster played a crucial role in the acquisition of Kawhi Leonard en route to the Raptors’ first-ever NBA title in 2019.

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“It’s great to be able to continue the work of building the next Raptor championship team – a goal which is part of our organizational DNA,” Webster said. “I’m grateful to Larry Tanenbaum, MLSE ownership and leadership, our great players and staff, and the people of Toronto for making this my home for the past years, and for the future.”

Now with Webster and head coach Nick Nurse in the fold for the long-term, all eyes are on Ujiri, who is in the final year of his contract.

Raptors president Masai Ujiri has entered the final year of his contract without agreeing to a new deal — which isn’t that uncommon at management level. There’s certainly expected to be more conversation with team ownership on Ujiri’s future there. https://t.co/ZBople1RWl

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 4, 2021

Bleacher Report recently reported that the Washington Wizards, who have been linked to Ujiri in the past, are planning an ‘aggressive pursuit’ to hire him away from the Raptors this summer.

In early December, Sportsnet’s Michael Grange, citing sources, said Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) isn’t to blame for the yet-to-be-announced extension with Ujiri.

Grange said at the time that the two sides “haven’t talked in-depth about his contract since February, according to sources.”

“I think there’s just been so much that I know I’ve pushed it out ’til I think we get through a lot of this,” Ujiri said in December. “There’s just so much going on with this relocation and the focus, and I don’t want to be distracted that way.”

The Raptors enter Friday’s game against Brooklyn with a 9-12 record, good for 10th in the Eastern Conference.